When Morrison Division President Joe O’Brien retires at the end of 2024, his legacy will include his dedication to patients, a passion for building relationships with hospital partners, and a deep understanding of the business. But nothing will be remembered more than his care and concern for his teams.
“The first week I started working for Joe, he came to Nashville and took me out to lunch,” said Kandy Angel, who has held the role as Joe’s senior executive administrative assistant for eight years. “I shared with him that my dad was suffering from an aggressive form of cancer, and I wasn’t sure how long he would survive. Joe didn’t ask; he demanded that I pack my things immediately and go see my father in North Carolina. I left that day. Little did I know this would be the last week for my dad. He passed the following week. Because of Joe’s true kindness and caring nature, I was able to spend my Dad’s last good week with him. I can never repay Joe for that gift.”
A division president since 2013, O’Brien has been responsible for national health system partnerships and operating regions in the South/Central region, providing food and nutrition services to hospitals in eastern Tennessee, North Carolina, West Virginia, and western Pennsylvania. O’Brien joined Morrison’s Cafeteria in 1981. He had been serving as a general manager at a private, upscale restaurant when he started to feel like it was time for a change. Since joining Morrison, O’Brien has worked as a regional director of operations, systems director, regional vice president, and division president. Over four decades, he has been instrumental in securing and building some of Morrison’s largest health system business.
Several of O’Brien’s team members and peers expressed their thoughts on his impact on the organization, their lives, and other topics.
Maintaining the Morrison Culture
“Joe lives and breathes the Morrison culture,” Division President Glenn Robinson says. “We all talk about culture, but Joe is invested in his people. He understands that passing food trays and washing dishes isn’t glamorous work. He knows the hard work people do every day and the importance of recognizing them for it. For example, when Hurricane Helene recently decimated Asheville, Joe immediately and strongly supported our team members, especially those who lost everything. And there are some associates who lost everything who stayed, because of Joe.”
“Joe was the standard bearer of food quality going back to the Morrison Cafeteria hey-days,” says Division President Peter Lanois. “Joe wasn’t a chef, but he knew how those old-school recipes were made. He’s the one person who could break down the true Morrison recipe for fried chicken or breaded fish almandine. And he’s held true to his vision of food quality to this day.”
Attention To Detail
“We worked together on some large and complex contracts, and Joe always had the ability to be patient and take the long view to achieve success for the client and for Morrison,” says Lanois.
Lanois says that O’Brien’s attention to important details extended to the care and treatment of his people. “Joe knows this business is all about our people. He always sent me a note on my work anniversary. He never forgot a birthday. He knew everybody’s family, including his client’s families.”
“He is always thinking about the customer,” Division Chef Michael Downie says. “He understands we need to provide patients and customers with a balance of food options. Yes, we want to provide them with healthy, nutritious food, but they also want a taste of home. He also knows how to provide the best possible food service. For example, he would come into a café, see food in a 4-inch pan, and recommend that we change it to a 2-inch pan to keep it fresh. The customer experience was a real thing for him.”
Caring for Patients
“Outside of investing in our people, Joe has focused on the importance of serving our patients,” Robinson says. “He knew that anything we did to improve their stay goes a long way in their recovery. Some might not find it easy to talk to patients who aren’t happy with us. But Joe did. I learned it’s the most important part of rounding. It’s how we find out how to get better.
Building Relationships with Our Healthcare Partners.
“Joe is always reserved and formal in client communications,” says Lanois. “He can share tough opinions in a way that showed the utmost respect for his clients.”
—
